LOL My favorite part of this last day is the Fun Facts! Number of servings of Brussel Sprouts! That's a riot. Little Shmoo eats so MANY things that omnivore kids refuse to eat that the brussel sprouts thing is almost a cliche!

Thank you Jennifer for inspiring so many mothers, and for inspiring my family to a) eat healthier, b) start a supper blog, and c) get more creative!

I'll be tuning in to see what else you do, but I'll also try very hard to be understanding when you don't post.

Jennifer,Im very sad to hear that you wont be posting as much next year, but I look forward to your updates every now and then, and Im estatic about your cookbook coming out in the future! I also want to say thanks. I had never heard of vegan before I came here(weird I know!) And I had been a very lazy vegetarian for awhile prior, and I thought vegetarianism was boring. But you completly proved me wrong! And thanks to you(and all the others on here with their blogs!) I had enough inspiration to become vegan! So thanks sooo much! You've inspired more people than you know!

Jennifer, you rock! I'm late to the party, having only discovered your blog last week but I've enjoyed catching up thru the archives. I want to buy your cookbook and will keep checking the site for details! I just bought two laptop lunchboxes last week for my own shmoos (they are vegetarian; I'm mostly vegan; husband is omnivore but veggie at home).

thank you jennifer for a lot of good eye candy and inspiration. as an almost vegetarian(occasional fish) living with 3 omnivores(1 adult, 1 pre-teen, 1 teen) i have enjoyed reading this blog since january. it has inspired me to keep up the vegan baking and to introduce new veggie foods. have a great summer!

We aren't allowed peanuts at my little vegan's school, but I'm hoping she'll let me try some of your cool lunches. I know sushi will be a big favourite with her! :saddness: that you wont keep this up next year, but I hope you keep this blog active, and include the occasional treat for your fan club. :)

I'm sooo sad you're not continuing VLB! But I am glad to have experienced your wonderful lunches and vegan wisdom! You've given me lots of new meat free menu ideas and encouraged me to make meals look more appealing! I wish you and Shmoo (as well as the rest of your family) all the best! Have a great summer!Dee

Dear Shmoos, big and little, thanks for the Wonderful year of inspiration. I wonder if any of the omnivore kids can even approach Little Shmoo's attendance record! That in itself is a testimonial to the health producing properties of vegan eating. We'll all miss this GREAT blog, but as we say goodbye I salute you for your humor, creativity, and all the fun we've had with VBL!!

Thank you for the inspiration. You're blog has been the push I needed to get out of the pb&j rut. My 13 year old has enjoyed your blog as well. Just yesterday we bought the ice cube molds so we could make the cheese sticks too!

As a former vegan and current omni, you've inspired me to reconsider the food choices I make for myself and my family. I won't even try to defend all of my dd's PB&J sandwiches this past year (but hey, she ASKS for them, lol), but what most strikes me is the effort you put into each lunch, and the love that is apparent at least to those of us who've witnessed, albeit virtually, those fabulous, varied, wonderful lunches. That what has seemed like a mundane chore could be better construed as such an act of love - that's the lesson that's been most meaningful for me.

But for now, would you please consider blogging, at least a few nights a week, some vegan meals? My dh is willing to try anything (whew!) and I'm sure we'd enjoy the variety here.

I LOVE this blog! I have a general question for you all. Is there a vegan food that has cholesterol in it? What I'm getting at is if a food has NO CHOLESTROL is it okay to assume it's vegan? (assuming no yucky stuff like gelatin or cochineal - which I learned about here!) You all are so smart, I'm sure you'll know.

I've never been to your site before, but it's amazing. Great lunches! You've inspired me. I'm going to get one of these lunchboxes for my daughter, and make beautiful lunches for her. :)(We're already mostly healthy, but the pretty factor is cool).

Two questions, though:1. Do you use fruit fresh, or lemon juice or something to keep your fruit from turning brown?

2. How old is your son? My daughter is 10, and going into 5th grade this fall. I'm hoping she would think these lunches are cool, not embarrasing. One never knows with the tweens.

flying oyster - there is no vegan food with cholesterol, but there are non-vegan foods without it....So, you can't assume that something without cholesterol is vegan, but you can know immediately that if it has cholesterol it's not vegan. It's a good first thing to check if you're not sure about something, but always read the ingredients if it has not cholesterol and you're still not sure.

>>1. Do you use fruit fresh, or lemon juice or something to keep your fruit from turning brown?

I use a bit of orange juice on apple slices, but nothing else. Sealed in the lunchbox, most fruit doesn't turn *too* brown before lunch or snacktime. Someone recommended putting raspberry vinegar on pear to prevent browning and add a nice flavor -- I might try that one day.

Thank you for a wonderful source for healthy and interesting foods for my children's school lunches. Although we are not vegan or vegetarian, you have been an inspiration to me to take the time and effort to provide fresh, healthy foods for my children instead of sending the :shudder: prepackaged lunchables.

I appreciate your ability to let it wind down, it having run its daily purpose for you. As awesome as it has been to see your care for Shmoo and your family by your willingness to put creative effort and time into Shmoo's lunches, it's equally sweet to see you step back for time with the family. It's not so common in this day and age to see someone step back amidst such adoration (which we will carry with us, to be sure).

I was dragged into homechooling kicking and screaming. My kids and husband wanted to try it and I didn't. It's been a great year though. I have met some great people. And to answer to super bongo's comment about isolation, if anything, we found too many educationanl things to do outside the home and I finally had to start saying no so we could actually get some school done at home!

Hi! It's a pity that this has come to an end. I really hope it's just for the time being. Your blog has provided me with lots of ideas for my own lunches and I really thank you for that. I've recently launched my own vegan blog and (finally) bought my own lunch bag as well. I don't think I'll have the time for posting daily, though - that's a tremendous task that I don't think many people can accomplish!

Jennifershmoo, I am so glad I found your blog! It has been amazing. Good luck to you and your family as you embark on new adventures!! My roommate this past year was homeschooled her whole life, as were many of the honors students and Merit scholars at my university, and I can tell you that when it is done properly, as you no doubt will do it, there are no problems with socialization. And a life-long love of learning can be the result, as well as great self-sufficiency and the ability to be highly self-motivated. I will miss your posts, and I hope to be able to buy the book! With well wishes, KelliP.S. I just started my blog, and I'm gonna post pics and recipes for food that a vegan college student eats, as well as other facets of my life, like knitting. . . thanks for the inspiration!http://vegprincess7.blogspot.com